12 Months: Training - Day 6

The Begonia behind Jack's head landed on him today when he
bumped it one to many times.

In my past posts I have spoken of Jack's constant prescience when I am training another dog.  As we move into our second week his comfort with Max has increased and he's starting now to put his nose into Max's training.  This can result in a fight if I don't manage it and since my face is close to them due to my sitting and working with them means I could be seriously hurt by accident.  In this case it is both a case of management and training to address this situation.

Max, who is uncertain about the new dog in our training mix, is starting to invite Jack to play, but in his typical German Shepherd manner, which is loud and a bit intimidating.  Jack is starting to understand the language and is not showing as much intimidation when Max does butt bumps and starts German Shepherd speak with him, but he's still giving clear and polite avoidance language, which means Jack and Max are not ready to actually start playing together.  This means both of them are still banging drums and putting on displays to determine how they'll deal with each other - I suspect it'll take another 2 to 4 weeks before the wrinkles in their communication and position determination is settled.

Until then, I have a lot to teach Jack.  He came to us with so much already known.  He's got the softest mouth I have ever felt in a dog and a he's very people oriented.  He walks like a dream on the leash already and once we established I wouldn't permit him to use my house for an outhouse, he's proven to be house trained.  We were told he's crate trained, though I have not tested that until he and I got a bit of communication established.  He has remarkable body language with other dogs and is very tolerant of even the rudest dog who presses into his space.  He doesn't raid the garbage or destroy my property - after we made a quick agreement that my furniture was not chew toys.  He is a remarkable dog who simply doesn't have a lot of his basic skills, such as Sit, Down and Stay on command.

Jack does has some understanding of Leave It, but not Zen.  What is the difference?  Sue Ailsby describes Zen as the foundation to civilization and I have to agree.  Zen teaches the dog patience, not just to leave items alone, but overall patience when dealing with life's frustrations.  If Jack wants outside, he must first sit and wait for me to open the door and give him permission.  If he wants a treat he must first wait for me to get it and then hand it to him without him stealing it from my hands.  If he wants any reward he must be polite and wait for the reward to happen.  It takes the ADHD property out of the dog.  An open door is not an invitation to race out of, nor is food in a person's hand an open invitation to snag and run with.  With patience the dog has time to think and decide if taking the food or rushing the door is worth it.

Jack is learning manners, which is what Zen is.  He's learning to be a part of the family and corporate with all of us.  Yesterday I mentioned I was rewarding Jack for behaviors I wanted when working with Emma.  These behaviors were sitting back and not trying to take Emma's kibble from my hands or her mouth when I was training her.  It was sitting back and watching me work with her and not try to take the pencil out of my hand or try to engage in the same activity at the same time uninvited.

What Jack doesn't have is a good Mat behavior.  I am working on Go To Mat with him, but it's a slow process impeded by a group of dogs who see mats as a reward giving machine in my home.  The moment the mat comes out Max, Attitude and Emma all migrate to it because that is where treats happen.  Jack has no chance of getting there and working solo with the mat unless I turn my house into a mat factory with dogs planted throughout the house - and even then, Attitude believes correctly the mat closest to me is the one paying the most and parks herself there.

I have faced this before with Emma when all my adult dogs moved into steal her food when I was first training her.  A friend had suggested using Go To Mat to work on Max and the others to keep them away from her and to teach her Mat now to teach her to stay away from them when working with them.  It's a delicate balancing game at times, but I had the tools to do it.

I have kept one tool in the background for now.  Max, who was my biggest issue with Emma in the beginning, was parked on a mat in various distances from me and I used the Manners Minder to produce a high rate of re-enforcement on the mat while she and I worked.  I slowly decreased the amount of rewards when his mat behavior became very strong and would toss a treat or a handful of treats (his kibble) to him as I worked.  At first it was one for every treat she got and then every other treat and slowly I worked to random treats to Max and kept working Emma.

I did much the same with her.  I delivered her treats in only one area by me, to my left or right as appropriate, and would give one per treat Max got and then every other and finally worked to random.  I generally put a mat in the designated spot, but not always.  I didn't want the mat to be a crutch in this crucial part of Zen training.

The Zen in this case was "other dog working Zen" and Emma quickly got it without much fuss on my part - but by then she also had completed Level 1 Zen completely.  Jack is just working on Level 1: Step 2 Zen and today finally was able to get up to 5 seconds.  I am seeing more of the results overall, but it hasn't sunk into his brain yet that what I am teaching with his food can relate to his life.

So, with Jack I am not planting mats just yet, like I didn't with Emma, but instead I am rewarding Step 1 of Zen in relation to the other dogs.  When his nose moves away he gets a treat and when he sits and watches (Step 2) he gets a treat and when he backs away and lays down he gets a treat.  In short order we'll have "nearby, but not trying to take" Zen with Jack and I can add the mat and work him to "over there and wait while I work" Zen with the other dogs.

In the meantime, I play the treat game with them.  I sit the dogs around me and I say their name and give them the treat.  I start left to right and work until each dog gets the idea they'll get their reward in due time and then reverse it once they got the understanding of left to right.  Once they can do both directions with just watching I then do it again left to right, but one dog in.  So if the dogs are sitting from left to right, Max, Emma, Jack, Attitude, Dieter I will start with Emma and work to Max.  Then the next round with Jack and work to Emma and so forth.  I repeat that going right to left, starting with Attitude and working to Dieter and so forth.  In time they not only learn their name, but that each dog will get a treat in due time and how to wait for their turn.

All of this takes about 2 to 4 weeks total to build and re-enforce, but it does teach the dogs to wait for their turn and respect that I, as their leader, can be fair and consistent when doling out rewards in the house.

I have to also remember to not re-enforce the behaviors I don't want.  I don't want Jack poking his nose into the other dog's training, thus rewarding that with attention, affection or food will re-enforce the behavior.  If I wanted Jack to stay near his mat, but not get to me I could setup a tether with a mat near it and only reward him when he was on the mat.  To do this, I have to keep a bit of my attention on him and whenever he is on the mat toss him a treat, but ignore when he leaves the mat and not pay attention to him by speaking to him or cuing him back to the mat.  Only when he's on the mat does he receive my attention and reward.

Same goes for a crate.  I have a soft crate I can setup and I could put Jack into it and only toss him treats into the crate when he is laying quiet and watching patiently.  If he is fussing or circling in his crate I simply ignore the behavior and only reward him being quiet and watching me.

Dogs are opportunists and will only do what pays.  If expending a lot of energy to get out of the crate doesn't get the desired result, my attention and a food reward, but being quiet and watching does, then they'll do what pays, which happens to be what I want.  I just need to be consistent in my leadership and pay handsomely in the beginning and then fade the rewards as the dog better understands what works.  If 1 out of 10 times I crate the dog and give them a reward for quiet behavior, the dog will continue to offer the behavior because it is still paying off.  I can't go to 1 in 10 though until the dog has a rich history of payment for the behavior and I have faded in a proper manner the rewards to the point of 1 in 10.

I have faded Max to 1 in 8 at this point and he offers the mat behavior, with or without the mat, because it will pay eventually if he's patient enough.  Emma is at the same point.  It's a matter of getting Jack there and again we'll have harmony when training individual dogs.

Today's Lessons:

Zen

Jack is working on Level 1: Step 2 Zen.  In this step Jack is asked to wait for up to 5 seconds before the click after I presenting the Zen hand.  Jack is starting to get the idea that he is being rewarded for not touching my hand and waiting for me to click.  He is offering more often to not touch my hand and either look at the floor or away.  On occasion he looks at me, but for the most part, he looks at the floor or away.

Today we worked up to 5 seconds several times and Jack was able to keep his nose away.  I had some problem with him sliding on my slick floors and laying down, which took his nose too far away from me.  Once he's laid down, Jack is rarely inclined to get up again without my really riling him up and getting him excited.

So, to solve the sliding problem, I left the other dogs in the house and took Jack to the front porch and worked with him.  Once there he was able to really focus on and understand the concept.  I will work Jack on this step for another day and then test him to see if he's ready for the next step.

Sit

Jack is working on Level 1: Step 1 Sit.  In this step Jack is asked to sit on a hand cue only off lead.  I have been working him in the living room and kitchen and facing the front door.  Right now he doesn't understand the hand cue well enough to do it at any distance from me, but he is starting to sit more often than not when cued.  What I have found is Jack understands the verbal cue better than the hand cue.  Now that he knows his name, if I say his name and get his attention and say "Sit" he'll do so.

I decided to work outside with him on Sit in the front yard.  Jack, who could sit and pay attention on the front porch, couldn't fully pay attention in the front yard.  Part of that is my neighbor has been playing his music loud enough today to make it possible to hear the words, rattle my windows and dishes and drive me to distraction.  Jack is trying to figure out where the deep bass beat is coming from and was not focused on me.

I will continue to work this step until Jack is sitting with a hand cue 95% of the time.

Observations

Jack has become very comfortable in my home and quickly adjusts to his new Mom leaving him with me.  He settles into the house routine without much issue and is a quiet and polite boy most of the time.  He is house trained, but just needed a reminder that he needed to remain so in my home when stressed.

He's starting to understand Max's overtures for play and though he's not willing to join just yet, he's not acting like it bothers him as much anymore.  I still see him turn his head in avoidance when Max puts his face close to Jack or he barks or grumbles at him, but Jack is no longer getting up when Max circles him and tries to butt bump him or nose nudge him.  He is also no longer trying to crawl into my lap and hide from Max when Max plays with Emma or tries to play with him.  Jack is starting to understand Max is not trying to be mean, but simply has poor play body language.

I can see he's figuring out that he is making me click and treat him and the possibilities are endless once he fully has this concept.  He's a smart and willing student and I enjoy working with him.

What I love most about Jack is his very calm and very balanced personality.  When ruffled he does recover well and he rarely gets ruffled. Tonight, while his Mom and were chatting and I was telling her the funnies I faced today with him (such as leading him by a stuffed toy I didn't want him to have to his food dish and then trading him for a treat, but he never let go of the stuffed toy until we walked from the living room to the kitchen to make the trade - so it was like leading a horse with a lead rope!) he and Emma were playing bitey face at Ronda's feet when the one event I knew would happen happened.

I have two large Begonia's in large pots by that window and when they play there he sticks his butt into the plant and doesn't really notice he's pushing it around.  This results in his pushing on the stand for one of the Begonias and I saw that one day he'd push that plant over.  Sure enough, tonight the whole thing crashed on top of him and Emma and he stood, scrabbling with his claws and slick feet and couldn't get purchase to escape the evil falling plant (which stands about 5 foot tall) and got his butt stuck in the cast iron stand before he finally was freed by Ronda.  He managed, after almost 40 seconds of feet scrabbling in a blur, to gain purchase and was gone from the spot the plant had dropped.  A moment later, even after that horrible scare, he returned to poke his nose at the plant and explore it.  That is the type of recovery I love seeing.

Max, who rarely has that type of scare, generally moves to anything that drops to put his nose on it and Jack is starting to show that same "what made that horrible noise" reaction that Max has.  Even Emma, after a rapid fire retreat, returned to explore when she saw both Max and Jack checking it out and my "I knew that would happen" reaction.

Tomorrow I am hoping to have a quieter neighbor (he managed to get himself into some trouble and was removed by police) and thus be able to work with Jack more outside alone to improve his understanding of Sit and Zen.


Level 1

	Zen	Target	Come	Sit	Down
Step	2	1	1	1	1

12 Month: Training - Day 5

Jack has a sense of humor and makes me laugh daily.

What a difference a week can make for a dog just settling into his new home.  Jack is more confident and happier than ever since he's settled in with Ronda.  He arrived this morning around 7:45AM and was happy to see me and bold as brass as she passed him into the yard.  We chatted a couple of minutes, catching up on his busy weekend, and then watched as Ronda drove off.

Last week this process of passing from her to me left him stressed and worried and he would stand against my fence and whine as she left.  Today he watched, saw she was leaving and gave a mental shrug as he turned and walked with me.  He's no longer touching me to feel safe and he's wagging his tail and ready for our daily adventures.

I went in and prepped the food for the day.  For both Jack and Emma I fill their daily allotment of food into their bowl and work on it throughout the day to increase the number of training sessions.  Emma eats 1 1/2 cups of food a day and Jack receives 2 of his 3 cups of food a day.  He'll slow down as his last growing phase completes and most likely drop back to 2 to 2 1/2 cups of food a day.

The biggest problem I have is Jack is so curious and has not concept of personal space that he interferes with training the other dogs currently. I had gone through this with Emma previously and had to teach all the dogs to give Emma space and Emma to give them space when I worked with them.

The first part of that lesson is teaching him that other dog bowls are not fair game in my home.  I patiently set the Dachshunds bowls down and then pushed Jack away from Attitude, whose bowl he was about to put his nose into, and was pleased to see him lay down and ignore her bowl.  This is the first step in learning food bowl Zen and he's getting the idea.  He was still very close to her and would sniff and touch her with his nose, but he wasn't trying to eat her very appealing food while she ate.

The other problem is he loves to try to steal Emma's kibble when I am training her.  Max has already established his position in the house without much effort.  Today, when Jack went to check out what Max was doing while I trained him, Max lifted his lips and told Jack he was way to close for Max's comfort.  Jack respected this direct and appropriate communication and gave Max the space he asked for.  Thus, Jack doesn't try to steal Max's kibble as I feed it to him and Jack sees me tell Max he's not allowed to be close when I am training Jack.  This places me above Max, whom Jack respects, and thus when I tell Jack he can't have the Dachshund's food, he respects me boundaries.

On the other hand, Emma and Jack have not settled into who is in what position.  Jack stands over Emma while she's training and she doesn't tell him not too, though I am working on Jack hearing me when I tell him it's not okay.  Emma on the other hand will go and lay quietly out of the way while I train Jack.  In this case, that sets Emma in the "little sister who can be picked on" status in Jack's mind.

I do not believe in pack leadership, but leadership is a part of dog raising.  A dog that doesn't respect the human caring for them will not follow arbitrary human rules which in the dog world make little sense.  To establish respect I must show, in a force free way, that following those silly rules results in rewards.  I hold the key to resources the dogs want.  I am the one with the thumbs that can open the door when they want out or the door that has the toy bin behind it.  I am the one that can provide the food they need for the day and affection they desire.  I am the one that can provide what they want to make their life happier and easier and all I ask is they follow the rules I set.

My job as their leader is to make the rules understandable.  I must set clear boundaries and clear expectations.  If I raise my hand to signal a sit it will mean sit every time I do it and a reward of food, praise, affection or a chance to go outside is given.  If I give the signal for a down again that signal means that particular body action and my part of the bargain is giving the rewards the dog desires - be it a kibble or a chance to go outside.

I do not have to roll the dog on his side, frighten him or hurt him to gain this leadership.  I just need to be consistent in my behavior and rewards to the dog and maintain control of the primary resources they desire.

Right now Jack and I are negotiating.  He enjoys working for his food now because he's hungry enough for it.  I am consistent in what I ask of him and I do not punish or correct him, but ignore behaviors I don't desire.  To teach Jack that I want him to wait while I work with Emma I must first teach him what I want.  I want him to find a spot, be it a mat or a piece of floor nearby, and lay quietly when I work.  I reward that behavior with kibble and praise at this point.  In short order he'll understand my rule of training and give the respect I ask of all the dogs.

To do this I am teaching him about Mats and Down and Zen.  All of these items are needed when learning how to give space and wait for a reward.  It won't take long before Jack and I are working together as a team to get the rewards he desires.

Today's Lessons:

Zen

Jack is working on Level 1: Step 2 Zen.  In this step Jack is asked to wait 5 seconds before I click and drop the treat.  I am dropping the treat directly between his feet at this point, since I am still working on setting up the household to respect I am working with Jack and they cannot steal his kibble also.

Jack is still putting his nose on my hand, though it is very brief, before pulling his nose away.  He's not making eye contact at this point, but I will work up to that stage as we build duration.  Since he's still touching my hand, something I don't want, I work with him on Step 1 to build up his understanding of the game I am asking him to play better.  If he moves to my hand I gently remove it from his nose touch and then click when I see him pull his nose away.  Jack is quickly getting the idea, but sometimes forgets and licks my hand and we start again at zero and work back up to step two.

After a weekend of not working on Zen with me, I stayed at Step 1 for the morning lesson.  I will start adding duration during his mid-day lesson and hopefully work up to 5 seconds by the end of the day.

Jack has a fundamental understanding of the cue Leave It.  I dropped Medication today and Jack went to put his nose on it.  I said, "Leave it" and he pulled his nose away and backed up.  Jack is still learning the verbal cue for Leave It.

Retrieve

Jack started some Level 3: Step 1 Retrieve.  I was working with Emma on Retrieve when Jack reached out and took the pencil in his front teeth. I saw no reason to discourage this behavior, since one of Jack's primary tasks will be retrieving objects for Ronda, so I would reward him for taking the pencil in his mouth.  He got up to putting the pencil behind his canines and holding it for a second.

In truth, Jack is trying to steal the pencil and I know it, but it is a behavior I can shape into a task and don't desire to discourage at any time he's willing to try.  In short order he got the idea to take and then release the pencil, which is exactly what I want.  He tends to hold and tug on objects he has in his mouth and working on this now, when he's willing to participate, is okay and will give him a working task for Ronda sooner as he continues through the learning process.

Jack has no verbal cue attached to this behavior yet.

Sit

Jack is working on Level 1: Step 1 Sit.  Jack started to display Sit as a tool in his toolbox on Friday and I was pleased to see the first time I cued a sit he did.  Technically this means he's passed the step, but I want to work a bit more on it until he's consistent with the hand cue.  To do this I have began Come Afters with Jack on this step.  I am cuing him to sit when I am standing, which is how I started him, and again when I am sitting, which changes the picture.  Jack is sitting on cue 50% of the time at this point, thus needs more practice with this step.

I am also working in different rooms and different directions to build on the concept of Sit.  I have started attaching the verbal cue Sit to this behavior for Jack.

Down

Jack is working on Level 1: Step 1 Down.  In this step Jack is asked to do a down on a hand cue while I am either sitting or standing.  Jack has just begun this step and doesn't fully understand it yet.  He did several downs, but after getting into a down he gets stuck and doesn't get back up.  Since he's along and large dog, tossing treats doesn't always work, since he can just lean and get the treat without getting up.  I will need to work with soft treats and lure him into a sit, down and stand repeatedly until he understands those cues.

Jack's down Cue will be Flat when I am attaching a verbal cue to it.  Jack has no verbal cue attached to this behavior yet.

Observations

Jack has grown comfortable being in my home and is showing signs he's understanding some of my rules.  He's not as pushy about my plate when I eat, now giving me a Zen behavior of laying and ignoring my plate while I eat.  He's not putting his nose in everything and seems to have sated his curiosity about my home.  He also is no longer glued to me when I move through the house.


The two filed trips I have attended with Jack have been positive and show his growing confidence.  He's attached to Ronda and shows he trusts her to protect him.  Ronda told me she took him out for a field trip over the weekend also.  She got a new phone and left Jack in her car when she did.  She said he honked the horn once, but didn't damage her car while she got her new phone.

She also took him to Big R and he was curious and explorative in the building, but not frightened.  I will have her and I take him to the Big R later this week with Emma and work on both of them doing Level 1 behaviors in a new location with a new distraction.

Jack is shaping up into a loving, calm and confident young dog.

Level 1

	Zen	Target	Come	Sit	Down
Step	2	1	1	1	1

12 Months: Training - Day 4

Jack enjoys laying at my feet when he's visiting.

Jack returned today for training.  He's in that early stage of learning how to live as a member of a family and how to share resources with others and to give space and respect to others.  In this case, I am the resource and the others are the other dogs in the home.  He is always close to me, touching me if possible and when I am giving treats to the other dogs he's putting his nose in to take the treat from my hands.  The only dog he does not do this with is Max; Max has established his position in regards to Jack and him and Jack is respectful of that.  Attitude and Dieter have yet to fully establish their boundaries, and I suspect once again Attitude is too tired and sick to do so for herself, so I must set a rule about trying to steal her food in a positive and gentle way Jack will understand.

Jack is unaware of where his body is, or that he shouldn't lean against some thing, or that he's walking on my feet or bumping into me.  Communication is becoming a priority as Jack has come very close to tripping me or throwing my balance off bad enough I may fall.  We are working on it in everyday living at this point and Jack is slowly learning to give me space.  He does need some mat work so that he can give space in when I am training Emma and when I am working in the kitchen.

As a result, today I began shaping Jack onto a mat and until then brought in a tether and tethered Jack to my wheelchair.  It is clear he's never been tethered before and he was a bit fussy and worried about being tied to my chair.  Since I used a cable tether, he  couldn't chew through it, which he did try to do and finally laid by my recliner, which he would almost reach, and gave Emma and I time to focus on our training.

One fantastic thing to see if Jack is in the game.  He wants the food I am offering and he's willing to work for it now.  He worked for 3 minutes on Zen this morning, twice, and was happy doing so.  He didn't disengage and was a bit surprised when I called the game off before he was ready to do so himself.

He also was willing to work for 2 minutes on Sit today.  I used soft treats for his Sit training to help lure him into position and slowly began fading the treats.  What amazed me was his tail waving in a happy metronome as we worked - training is making him happy and he's enjoying the happy feelings.

He is starting to respond to his name, though we are still playing the Name Game to teach him what his new name is.  Shortly I will begin the Come Game with him, since he currently has no recall, but I will need to arrange it so that it's just him and I in the house, since he's so sensitive about other dogs getting to his kibble first he won't run after the kibble if another dog starts toward it.

He's calmer and happier today, compared to the previous days we've worked together and I can see him settling in nicely.

Today's Lessons:

Zen

Jack is working on Level 1: Step 2 Zen.  Jack is still doing a bit of the nose bump when I offer treats to him in my closed hand, so I am working from Step 1 to Step 2 several times over.  Currently we are up to 2 seconds of time between offering my Zen hand and clicking.  Each time he bumps my hand we go back to the beginning and review what we are working on.

Jack is enjoying this game now and is fully engaged when we play.  The clicks are coming in rapid fire and the treats are dropping quickly as we work, which is keeping his interest in the game.  I can see the wheels starting to turn in his head which means it won't be long before he's a thinking dog who enjoys learning.

Jack will continue to work on this Step until he is able to make eye contact with the person after pulling his nose away from the treat.

Go To Mat

Jack is working on Level 2: Step 1 Go To Mat.  Though this is a huge jump for Jack, it is a needed skill in my home.  Jack is literally standing over the top of Emma when we work and trying to steal the kibble I am offering her out of my hand or her mouth when working with Emma.  We need Jack to give Emma space, so teaching him to go to his mat and park like Max does will give us that space.

Today I laid out three mats.  Emma went to one and laid down and put her head down while I worked with Jack.  Max went to another and laid down and put his head down while I worked with Jack.  Attitude sat on Jack's mat.  Attitude has figured out that Mat training means she might be able to steal kibble.  As much as I enjoy seeing her eat kibble again, I really need her to stay out of the working dog's spot and will have to bring out a fourth mat.

I used shaping with Jack and clicked for any head or body movement toward the mat.  When I tossed his treats Attitude shot in and ate them, so I scooped her up and put her in my chair and parked her there.  Once this was done Jack quickly began to get the idea that maybe it had something to do with the mat.  We worked for 3 minutes on mat work and got Jack to stand on the mat with his front feet.

There is not way I can get Jack to sit and stay on his mat in one session, so I instead went out and got a tether and tethered him to my wheelchair so I could train Emma.  I moved his mat by him and had one by me and would give him kibble whenever he was on a mat on the tether.

Jack will continue to be shaped and rewarded for being on a mat until he understands that being their pays heavily in my home.

I brought out the mat a second time and Jack quickly moved to step on it and sniff it.  Jack is starting to understand that the purpose is to find the mat.  I only have two feet on the mat at this time, so I will continue to work until Jack has all four feet on the mat.

Sit

Jack is working on Level 1: Step 1 Sit.  I cut up some Nature's Balance Roll Dog Food to use as a lure to teach him Sit.  He's starting to get the idea and I am fading the treats as a lure now.  He still doesn't understand the hand signal, but he's starting to get the idea and I can see he is thinking and trying to communicate with me to get me to feed him.  This is a fantastic thing to see!

Jack is clearly starting to understand and meet me halfway for the game.  He's wagging his tail and staying tuned in as we work.  I am loving watching another dog figure out how to communicate with humans.

Jack will continue this step until he knows it in his bones.

Update:  I spent time with Jack at his Ronda's tonight and he was offering sits for treats and affection.  I had my clicker in my pocket and I would click when he sat and Ronda would treat him.  It was a wonderful 15 minutes of training while he played and offered a behavior he's finally started to think of as a part of his toolbox.

Field Trip

Tonight Ronda and I took Jack to Petsmart again.  Ronda got a cart this time and after I showed her how to manage a cart and a dog together she worked with him walking with her while working the cart.  He was unconcerned about the cart and walked loose lead most of the time.  He's starting to understand how to stay on her left side only and not wrap behind her to her right side while walking.  He needs a bit of work on Zen with objects on the shelves and people passing by, but overall he's progressing nicely with his training.

We spent approximately 30 minutes in Petsmart tonight.  He was more confident and calmer on this field trip.

Observations

Jack clearly didn't spend a lot of time just living with people in a house.  He is curious about everything in the home and his nose is his primary way of exploring.  If he finds something of interest he simply takes it - be it a stuffed toy I put on my end table when removing it from play to trying to eat off of plate or out of bowls resting on tables or counters when he likes the smell.

He has no concept of personal space and is always touching or so close to me I am at risk of stepping on him.  He sometimes rests his head over my knees and just lays it there and sighs with contentment at being touched.  I think, with a lot of social interaction with people he'd make a fantastic therapy dog also.

He has the gentlest and softest mouth I have ever felt on a dog.  He loves to nose touch my hands as I am walking and rubbing his canines or inner lips on my fingers, but he never truly mouths me or uses any force with his mouth.

Jack is gaining, quickly, the lessons he needs to live happily in a home with people.  I encourage exploration, so his head goes into things like my fridge or dishwasher or dryer without rebuff - since those are items he'll be working with over time as a service dog.

He does tend to get very focused on whatever I am giving to another dog.  I need to rub either Emu or Coconut Oil on Max's lips daily to keep them from peeling and bleeding due to his non-systemic Lupus.  Today I was rubbing Coconut Oil on Max's lips and Jack was in there licking it off of Max's face and my hands while I was rubbing it in.  Jack needs to learn to give space to me when I am working with another dog.

Each time I bring out something new, like the vacuum or steamer or a new pot or pan I let him explore it for a moment to build up his socialization.  I will start adding new types of clothing styles, such as capes and draping clothes, and hats and umbrellas and such as we progress in our training.

In general Jack is not longer finding trouble in the house, but he is in need of basic manners with people and dogs in relation to space.  It won't take long.  It took only a day to convince him eating my furniture was not okay and 3 days of training to start seeing him in the game, so I suspect he'll be giving more space by the end of next week.  He's a smart boy and I truly love training him.

We are seeing the first signs Jack is in the game with us.  He's willing to work for food and willing to work on figuring out what we are clicking for.  He's starting to think he's making us click and feed him and he's starting to think of offering behaviors for rewards.  Jack is becoming a thinking dog.

Level 1

	Zen	Target	Come	Sit	Down
Step	2	1	1	1	1

12 Months: Training - Day 3

Jack loves being close to people.

Jack arrived at 7:30 AM this morning.  He was happy to see me and wagged his tail and stepped into my yard without hesitation.  This is a positive step forward, since he'd been fairly unsure of his world and how things worked for the past few days.  Ronda announced that Jack has defected prior to coming to my house, but had not urinated.  Jack and I stood at the gate and watched Ronda leave for work.  Once the car was out of sight he turned and focused his attention on me.  Clearly, I am his second person now and he feels safe with me once Ronda is gone.

I let out the rest of the dogs and watched for Jack to urinate, which he did after a few minutes.  When he did I said the cue we'll use when he's out in public and we want him to relieve himself.

Once in the house he and Emma has a rousing game of wrestling and bitey face and then my phone rang.  It was my friend Robin.  While she and I talked the dogs played around me.  At one point Jack and Max got into a bit of a spat, which ended quickly and without incident, so I put Max outside for a bit to let him run and have some freedom from all the dogs in the house.

As our conversation continued I was watching Mr. Must Use My Mouth and saw him go to the wall by my front bathroom and then lift his leg!  I yelled "AUCK!" at him and then went over and give a quick bump on his bum with my hand.  He stopped peeing and went off to lay down.  Hopefully, catching him mid-pee and telling him that I am not accepting that behavior in the house will stop his marking behavior like it did with Max.

Max, when I adopted him, was by default house broken, but he would mark the walls to make the house his.  I hadn't caught him at it for an entire week and know it is futile to correct something after it has happened.  One day Max stopped right in front of me and began to mark the doorway of my bathroom.  I smacked his bum that day also and like Jack, Max stopped what he was doing and never marked in my home again.

Jack is a softer dog than Max, so instead of smacking his bum, I just touched it firmly to tell him I was unhappy with him.  He got the idea.  Let's hope this solved what could become a major problem.

While training Jack and then switching to training Max and then Emma I found out how soft Jack is.  He was standing over Emma trying to steal her kibble from my hands, a behavior he does not attempt at all with Max, and was making it impossible to train Emma.  I gently put my hand on his neck and gave a push asking him for space and Jack turned and went to lay on the far side of the glide rocker and waited for me to finish with Emma.  It was not a hard push, but a gentle and firm push, and he took it as if I had yelled at him.

Later, when I was working Max and he wanted to stay right beside me, which was preventing me from training Max, I stepped toward him to back him up and again said, "Give me some space."  Jack promptly went into the living room and laid out of my line of sight.  Soft and gentle dog which needs a softer hand and soft redirection when he's crowding me.  This is going to be interesting!

Today's Lessons:

Zen

Jack is working on Level 1: Step 2 Zen.  Yes folks, Jack passed Level 1: Step 1 Zen in a day!  I offered the Zen hand and Jack promptly turned his nose away and waited for the click.  Amazing!  We are building up duration slowly and got up to 2 seconds before he grew bored and walked off.

Sit

Jack is working on Level 1: Step 1 Sit.  I cued Jack to sit this morning and he did, but only the once.  I figure it was a fluke and will continue to work on training him to recognize the cue.  He becomes a bit stressed with the hand cue, so I switch between luring him into a sit, which I was able to do 7 times today, and capturing sits during the day and clicking and treating for them.

Shaping

Jack is not in the game and doesn't understand he is making me click.  I stopped our Sit lesson when I saw he was confused and was about to walk away.  I gave him some affection and then played a bit of the Name Game with him and then started to click for anything he did.  Eyebrow moved, click, chin dip, click, nose turn, click, nose flare, click .. so forth.  In short order he was thinking maybe the click meant something, since his food was coming rapid fire.  I will continue to work on getting Jack into the game by playing guess what I am clicking for and other games I can click for to improve his understanding he's making me feed him.

I did a second shaping session with him using a box.  He was leery of the box, but I think he's starting to get the idea that the click or my saying Yes means he did something right.  He is starting to turn his head and look at me when I click or say Yes.

Name Game

Jack is still learning his name, so we are still singing the silly song and feeding him kibble whenever we say his name to him randomly throughout the day.  The nice thing is I am starting to see him turn his head and wag his tail when I say his name.  It won't be long before he knows that word means good things happen.

Observations

Jack is settling into his new life nicely.  He was calmer this morning when left and didn't have the nervous expulsion of bodily fluids and waste.  Though he did try to mark my wall, I quickly addressed it while in the act and hope I don't see the behavior again.

He's still not in the game nor fully understanding that I am rewarding him for good behavior.  He's still worried and concerned about his environment and whether he'll see Ronda in the evening when she gets off of work.  It will take a little longer to get Jack moving forward on his lessons.

I keep forgetting that Jack is not clicker savvy.  I have four clicker savvy dogs in my home and am used to them jumping into the fray when I call their name and pick up the clicker.  I am also used to each understanding the rules about staying way from the dog I am working and letting me focus on just one of them at a time.  Again, I am back to teaching a new dog the rules of sharing me, giving space and working with a clicker.

It won't be long before Jack is in the game and enjoying learning.

Level 1

	Zen	Target	Come	Sit	Down
Step	2	1	1	1	1

12 Months: Training - Day 2

Jack still wants nothing more than to be close to me.

Ronda called me at 7:35 AM to announce she was loading Jack up and would be over shortly to drop him off with me.  This is his second day coming to my home and first full day of training in my home.  Yesterday, out of stress, he had pooped in my kitchen but I didn't make the connection to that and his elimination and today paid for it.

Ronda dropped him off and I brought him into the house. He was resistant at being left and even put his feet on me to say he wasn't happy with my dragging him into the house.  I stopped, reassured him that he was staying today and led him in.  Within two minutes of getting into my house he peed on Max's bed, moved over and finished his peeing by the treadmill and then left the room and pooped in the living room.  I started my day with bodily fluids and waste!

This tells me that tomorrow when Ronda gives me his leash we'll watch her leave and dally long enough for him to eliminate on lead outside.  I was not angry with him, just concerned I am setting him up to fail by not heeding his stress at being left each morning.  In time he'll accept the routine and be able to separate from Ronda without issue, but right now she's his anchor in this crazy and strange world where gravity is out of sync with what he had known.

Since Saturday he had hardly eaten and I knew he had to be starving, so when I got out everyone's bowls and started the morning routine of feeding the crew I wasn't surprised by the constant nose invading my space as he snuffed up the scents of his morning meal.

I worked with him in very short experiments on how what I could do to train him and where he was and needed to start at.  Some dogs need to start with Target to build confidence while others need Zen to curb excitement.  I worked a bit of Target with him and he was soft and tentative with his touches, but willing to try to earn food.  I then worked on luring a sit and found he quickly became bored.  It was after he had his nose in everything - Emma's food as I handed it to her, taking Emma's harness off of the kitchen counter and poking his nose in cabinets and cupboards that I decided he needed to start with Zen.

He's enjoyed a rousing game of play with Emma and tried to eat my recliner when bored and even chewed on the tires of my wheelchair.  He knocked things off of my end table and played with toys in the house and tried to engage my IPad when I first started working.  He's finally tired enough he is napping with the rest of the household, but I can see a lot of work needs to be done to bring him into the game and teach him proper manners in a house.

One note:  I use the front bathroom for storage and for a bathroom.  Since I have my crockpots and pans in the bathroom I have hung a tug on the door so Max could open it for me when needed.  When I go in, Max tugs the door open and comes in to visit me.  Emma today used her paws to open the door and enter and after a single episode of Max tugging to come into the bathroom, I heard Jack at the door exploring and trying to tug the door open.  Amazingly smart boy!

Today's Lessons:

Zen

Jack is working on Level 1: Step 1 Zen.  In this step Jack is to pull his nose away from the treat in my hand to get it.  He spent a lot of time licking and working my hand, without injuring me, to get the treat.  This is good, his mind was working overtime to solve the problem.  Once his nose moved from my hand I clicked and dropped the treat.  Jack figured out what I was doing after 10 repeats and then walked away.  He tends to dis-engage when bored.

Target

Jack is working on Level 1: Step 1 Target.  In this step Jack is asked to touch my hand with his nose.  When I held my hand out Jack very softly, almost brushing my hand, touched it.  After a few clicks Jack understood the goal was to touch my hand and started to offer more solid contact.  Jack will need more experience with this step before we move to the next stage.

Sit

Jack is working on Level 1: Step 1 Sit.  In this step Jack is asked to sit on when cued with a hand signal.  I lured Jack a couple of times into a sit, but he was bored with the lesson and quickly dis-engaged.  We will continue to work on this step.

The Name Game

Jack had his name changed to Jack on Monday, so he is unaware that is his name currently.  In order to have him respond to his name we are playing the name game with him.  I spent the day randomly saying his name and giving him a kibble.  He was soon looking to me when I said his name.

I also sang a silly song to him using his name, "Jack, Jack your all black.  Jack, Jack got my back."  He would wag his tail when I sang, which means he's tone deaf, and I would stuff a treat in his mouth each time I said his name.

He still doesn't know his name, but with a regular repetition of his name and praise, food and play associated with it he will soon recognize that word means pay attention and start to respond to it.

Field Trip

Tonight Ronda and I took Jack to Petsmart to buy him some chew toys.  He's bringing in his first year molars and I mentioned he would need some serious chew toys of she would have no furniture after his raids on both my recliner and wheelchair and then the TV tray table by my chair.

When we first picked him up we had to do several attempts to get him to step into the van, tonight he just climbed in.  He is growing comfortable with traveling in a vehicle and no longer battles entry when we go to take him somewhere.  He also, for the most part, rides well with Max in my van.

When we arrived at Petsmart he jumped to the front seat to follow Ronda out.  We both made note that he needs to learn safe car practices and will work on those.

He had a bit of trouble entering the store.  After getting through the first sliding doors he stopped at the second set and planted his feet.  Ronda gently encouraged him to enter just as hound came up and became a bit to friendly with him, which made him back up a bit more.  Ronda gently encouraged him again and he stepped through the doors onto the white tiles.  I don't think it was the doors as much as the floor change that spooked him, but once in he recovered and was fine.

He enjoyed exploring the store, though at first he was stressed and nervous. He recovered quickly and became curious about what we were doing.  We stayed long enough to pick out some toys, a new brush, new bowls and a couple of other items she needed for him and then left - in all we spent about 15 to 20 minutes in the store.

Ronda noted a yawn at the end of our stay while we were in check out.  We both agreed he was tired and ready to process what had just happened.  At the check out he was offered a treat by the clerk, which he took and ate.  A good sign he wasn't overly stressed by his experience.

He readily got into the van and I offered him and Max a rawhide chew I had purchased while inside.  Everything was fine between them until we stopped at Rite Aid.  As I was driving through the parking lot Jack began growling and telling Max to stop trying to steal his rawhide.  No fight occurred, but we will not give them chews in the car when they are together again to prevent such behavior in the future.

We left Jack in the van, tethered to the back seat, while Ronda picked up a prescription in Rite Aid.  When we returned he was calm and happy to see us.

Jack needs to learn to be calm with high value chews around other dogs and not to attempt to jump out of a vehicle when the doors open.  Until such time, tethering him when I am alone with him or having a second with me to keep hold of his lead will keep him safe.

Observations

Jack is a bold boy who enjoys a good joke and is very sensitive and sweet with people and other animals.  He is uncertain of his fate right now and still settling into his new life.  Until he's come to terms with his new home and new routine he will be unable to join the training game.  Jack is not in the game.

Jack needs consistency and reassurance while he adjusts to his new life.  I have no doubt Jack will settle into his new life quickly.

Today he was a busy boy playing with Emma and taste testing my house.  He tried out my recliner (got a quick response from me) and then my wheelchair (another quick response) and started taking things off of tables and counters.  He's very curious about everything and apparently is a mouth explorer.

At one point he spotted the ball on the fridge that I have there for Max to use to pull the fridge open and stood for several minutes chewing on it and playing with it with his nose.  Another time he discovered that Max used the tug on the bathroom door to get in and tried it out himself.

He's still a bit spooky about sudden movements, but not objects.  He'll become calmer and more confident with training and experience.  I am pleased to see his deep curiosity about his world though. He was happy to check out the steam mop and the vacuum when I brought them out.

Level 1

	Zen	Target	Come	Sit	Down
Step	1	1	1	1	1

12 Months: Training - Day 1

Attitude checks out Jack as he rests at my feet.

Today I started working with Jack, a black Standard Poodle, who will become a service dog for my friend Ronda.  He will learn how to provide counter balance when she looses her balance, which happens on an average of 3 or 4 times a day currently, retrieval work for items she drops or needs picked up and forward momentum work for when she's climbing a hill or stairs and cannot get her legs to continue to work - which happens occasionally.

Today Jack was learning how my home worked while he was visiting for 2 hours.  He played with Emma, who he met for the first time today, and explored my home and my yard.  He learned to accept food from my hands and to trust he was safe with me.  We did very little actual training today.  Most of our day was spent in just becoming acquainted and learning to communicate with each other.

He's a soft dog with a sweet personality and boundless curiosity.  Though he's not had a lot of life experience outside of the home, he seems to take each new thing in his life in stride and is willing to sit back and watch from afar before diving in and joining the party.  I believe Jack will thrive with positive training and clear guidance into public access work.

Today Jack started the Levels Program with me.  He's eager to work for food and lit up when he realized I was asking him to think.  I believe Jack will have a quick journey.  He is already crate trained, leash trained (he has full loose leash walking on board), house broken and endless curiosity.

Today's Lessons:

Sit

Jack is working on Level 1: Step 1 Sit.  In this step Jack is asked to sit for a click.  No duration or distance from me is expected.  I worked on luring Jack into a sit today. He was willing to work for the treat, though at one point he nipped my fingers and recoiled when I yelped.  He did two sits before he was done with the lesson. Jack is not in the game yet, but is willing to play along until he learns what the game is.

Jack will continue working on this step until he sits with a hand cue.

Observations

Jack was re-homed with Ronda on Saturday and still hasn't found his center of gravity after his world turned upside down.  He's a bit tentative and worried about what is happening and still forging bonds with myself and Ronda.  He is very people oriented and gentle with all dogs, people and cats he's met.  He is a polite dog with sound manners and good temperament and I believe he just needs time to adjust and become comfortable with his new routine.

I will begin serious training with Jack tomorrow.  He was renamed after he came to live with Ronda and currently doesn't know his name.  I will work on the Name Game and Come Game with him and work on Sit, Down and Target this week to build his confidence.

I look forward to my lessons with Jack!

Level 1

	Zen	Target	Come	Sit	Down
Step	1	1	1	1	1